The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-09-25
BANANAS ALL THE YEAR.

How They Are Brought to Us and How They
Are Grown and Gathered.
New York Mail and Express.
A steamer unloading 10000 punches of ba-
nanas. A stevedore mounted on the deck, Civ
ing out orders to q hundred 1ongshoremen who
stand in lines and pass the lunches of fruitfrom
the hold of the vessel to waiting trucks. The
owner standing on an upturned barrel and call
ing out 'one." two" three" designating the
grades to which the bananas belong. Trucks
backing into place, loading and pulling out to
make room for others. Small boys scurrying be-
tween the trucks and feasting on the oyer-ripe
fruit
Such was the scene Mail and Express report
er beheld on a downtown wharf yesterday.
1.-Two million punches of bananas come into
this port alone every year now" said the inn
porter. "Previous to 1884 there were not near
so many. Schooners were employed, and they
took SIX weeks to make a TIP, carrying only
1900 lunches, and lost a quarter of them on ac-
count of the length of time af1oat and the dam
age by salt water. Now we have regular lines
of steamers that carry four or five times as much
fruit and make such quick trips that there is
practically no loss of fruit"
Where do the bananas come from"
well, the reds. which appear to be the favor
ties come from Baracoa, Cuba. We get from
10000 to 1000 punches of them week during
August, but less now that peaches are in the
market. The yellow ones come from Jamaica,
Panama, Costa, RIGA and Nicaragua. There are
some bananas produced in Florida, but the home
demand prevents any coming here. 1t will not
be long before the red bananas will be very
scarce as the Cuban planters are replacing them
with the yellow slips from Jamaica The cause
of this is that the yellow produce lunches
aging from 81 to 81. o. while the red will not
average more than 81 80 bunch"
How do bananas growl"
ION immense plantations laid off into rows
or trees about eight feet apart each way. The
trunk OF a banana tree is composed of the stems
of leaves and grows from fifteen to twenty
feet high. When the fru1ting begins. a bud APP
pears at the top of the stem and develops into
a bunch of bananas. When the fruit is gathered
the tree is cut down ard left to decay, and new
sprouts start up from the root, and thus
the crop is continually renewed. There are
about 700 trees to the acre, and each one pro-
duces one bunch of fruit. New plantations are
started by setting out young sprouts about two
feet high. The gathering of the bananas
differs. In Central America the native
Indians are employed. They cut the tree with
q machete until it bends over so as to bring the
bunch within reach. 1t is then cut off and car
ried on the backs Of the men down to the ships
which run up the rivers. The loading is usually
done by forming line and passing the lunches
from hand to hand. This is not very pleasant
work, the lunches often contain scorpions,
tarantulas, centipedes and other venomous in
sects that get shaken out of the punches
as they are passed and bite sting
the handler In Jamaica the negro
in Cuba both negroes and half-breeds are
employed. In the hold of the vessel the bananas
are placed in bins holding several hundred
lunches each, and arranged to admit ell of the
air possible. The ventilation is important
that large canvas tunnels called 'windsails are
fixed on deck SO to catch the wind and carry
it down into the hold. In winter much is
necessary to prevent the cargo from freezing
the voyage or while unloading. Bananas al
most the only fruit that is always in season.
Thev arrive at this port every month in the
year. During the poorest months in midwinter
we receive 20. 600 lunches. and in summer the
number frequently reaches 100000 punches"